Teenage Mutant Ninja Squirtles
by The God of Ink
Summary: When a shadowy organization emerges from the failing Team Rocket, the only thing that can stop them are four heroes in half shells.
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

**The Ooze**

** "Why are we always stuck with disposal duty?" James groaned. He hefted a barrel and opened the valve. Pounds of green sludge poured off the side of the lookout.**

** "Don't ask me, just dump!" Jesse snapped at him, doing the same.**

** Just then, Meowth joined them, dragging behind him another cart full of barrels. "AGGGGHHHH!" he groaned, audibly. When that got no response; "Thanks a lot for offering to help, guys."**

** James threw away his barrel in disgust. "You've got the better job, you know, so stop complaining. We actually have to smell this stuff."**

** It wasn't fair. When the three of them had joined Team Rocket, they thought it would be a life of adventure and danger. Yet here they were, dumping Giovanni's trash into a ravine. Yes, they were rookies, but didn't they deserve the benefit of the doubt?**

** "What is this stuff anyway?" Meowth asked, poking his head over the ravine.**

** Jesse gave him a swift boot in the back of the head. "I don't know, I don't want to know, and we aren't supposed to know. Now go get the last barrels!" **

** None of them actually knew what it was they were dumping. Their commanding officer had called them into Warehouse 3, and told them to take the barrels and dump them into the ravine near Headquarters. When James had asked what it was, they got yelled at for five minutes about "sticking their noses where they don't belong" and were then dismissed.**

** After a hour or two, the last barrel had been dumped into the ravine, and the three comrades laid on the ground, exhausted. **

** "Now what?" Jesse wheezed.**

** "We go back, sleep, and wake up to probably take out more garbage" Meowth said. The three picked themselves up off the ground, dusted off their uniforms, and slowly limped back to their barrack.**

** If they had stayed, they might have stuck their heads over the cliff edge to see the sludge they poured had formed a small pool. If they had stayed, they would have seen the Rattata that came down from the mountains searching for food, and accidentally slipped and fell into the ooze pool. If they had stayed, they would have seen the Rattata crawl out and limp away, and later, the group of four Squirtles that came to play in the ooze pool, thinking it was a small pond.**

** This was all fifteen years ago. **


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: **

**Let the Adventure Begin**

** April could hardly stay in bed. She had been preparing all night for the morning, packing clothes, food, all her money. Her excitement had electrified her whole house; her mother was a mess, fretting and double checking that her daughter had packed all the necessities. Her father kept pulling her aside, giving her tidbits of advice from when he was own the road. And her little brother followed her everywhere, begging her to take him along. **

** BEEP-BEEP. BEEP-BEEP. April looked at her alarm clock. 7:30 in the morning, right on time. She jumped out of her bed, stumbling over herself down the hall to the bathroom. Pajamas off, shower on, shampoo, conditioner, soap; it was a pattern ingrained in her mind so she wouldn't waste time. After her shower, she stood by the sink, trying to brush her teeth and blow-dry her hair at the same time. She caught her reflection in the misty bathroom mirror, and couldn't help but smile. **

** _"Today's the day it all starts" _she silently said to herself, the thought making her head feel like it was full of helium. _"As of today, you, April O'Neil, are a Pokemon Trainer"._**

**_ "_Crap!" All that preparation, down the tubes. April had planned to wake up and hour earlier to make sure she had time to get across town to Professor Oak's lab. But her mother insisted on re-checking that she had all her necessities, and taking a bunch of pictures of April pretending to go out the door, so "the moment would be preserved". Now she was going to be late. **

** April pedaled her bike as fast as she could. She past the grocery store, the pharmacy, the police station, everyone on the street seeing her as a blur. Soon, she was nearing the outskirts of town. Professor Oak's lab was visible up on the hill. April forced her legs into overdrive, shooting across the dusty dirt road, up the hill to the lab. A flock of Pidgeys were pecking at the ground for seeds; April blew past them, causing the Pokemon to fly off in a panic. Pidgey feathers got into Aprils eyes, and before she could wipe them away, she hit a bush and flipped.**

** April went sailing through the air. She saw the front door of the lab open, before her vision was obstructed by grass as she came crashing down onto the lawn. "Owwwwwwwwww" she moaned, rubbing the spot on her hip where she landed.**

** Suddenly, there were two hands on her shoulders, pulling her up to her feet. She turned around (slowly; her hip still hurt), and found herself looking at an old man with spiky gray hair and piercing eyes.**

** "You all right there?" asked Professor Oak. April nodded. "Good," the Professor said, "come with me."**

** April followed Oak up the lawn, through the doors into the lab. "Would you like some tea?" Oak asked her.**

** "No thank you, Professor." **

** "That wasn't an actual question; a friend of mine always said a mug of tea could take your mind of any injury. Pity that didn't help him when that Snorlax fell on him." Professor Oak took a moment to look at April's face, before bursting into cackles. "That was a joke!"**

** The two turned a corner, finding themselves in the main lab of the building. There was a kettle on the main table, with two mugs beside it, as if the Professor was expecting company. Oak poured the contents of the kettle into both cups, and offered one to April. Not wanting to be rude, she took it.**

** Professor Oak pulled up a chair, and sat down with his legs crossed. "So," he began, "you're here for your starter Pokemon."**

** April looked shocked. "How did you-"**

** Professor Oak chuckled. "You've got a back pack, a canteen strapped to your side, and wilderness clothes on. I'd be going senile if I didn't recognize a budding Trainer when I saw one." He leaned in, sipping his tea. "How old are you, if you don't mind?"**

** April took a small sip of the tea. "Sixteen, sir. I would have started earlier, but I wanted to finish school first."**

** The Professor nodded. "Very admirable. Most Trainer hopefuls I see can't wait to get out of school. You have something else in mind besides Training?"**

** "I always wanted to be a journalist; travel across the regions, looking for good stories." April looked a little embarrassed. "But my dad was a Pokemon Champion, so always wanted to be a little like him."**

** Professor Oak nodded. "My father was a Professor, so I can understand." He put down his tea, got up, and made for a large metal cabinet on the other side of the lab. "What was your name?"**

** "April O'Neil, sir." **

** "Well, April O'Neil", the Professor said, taking a wooden box out of the cabinet. "If you're going to be a Pokemon Trainer, you'll need a Pokedex and Poke-Balls, won't you?" He opened the box, and inside was a shiny blue Pokedex and five deactivated Poke-Balls.**

** April grabbed the gear, and clipped them onto her belt. "Thank you, Professor" she said. "I was worried that I was late to get these and my Pokemon."**

** Suddenly, Oak's face went down. "Oh, shoot."**

** April's heart sank. "What is it?"**

** "Well," the professor began, "the three starter Pokemon I had were already claimed by other kids..."**

** April's heart sank further. "So...I guess I have to wait another year."**

** Professor Oak began to nod, but then his face lit up. "Maybe not" he said. He put down the box, and sprinted out of the room, and down the hallway. April struggled to keep up. "_For an old guy, he's fast!" _she thought.**

** The Professor stopped at a large wooden door. He opened it, and came to another, metal door. He crouched down, and fumbled with the tumbler. The metal door swung openly slowly, revealing a large room. The entire space was taken up by racks filled with Poke-Balls. April was in awe. "What's going on, Professor?" she asked.**

** Oak went down the shelves, silently reciting the labels. "A boy came here before you," he said. "An old family friend. He missed the three Starters as well, but the thing is, I had an unclaimed Pokemon on my hands; a Pikachu, to be precise. So I gave that to him for his Starter." Professor Oak stopped at a a shelf. He reached and grabbed a Poke-Ball off the rack. "And as it just so happens, I have another Pokemon without an owner."**

** He handed the ball to April. "I'm legally not allowed to keep watch over Trainer-less Pokemon, and you need a Starter Pokemon. It seems lightning strikes twice for me."**

** April took the Poke-Ball, and hesitantly clicked the button. It expanded in size, and April threw it up in the air. It opened with that electronic PWANG and out of a white flash of light came a Gligar. It slashed the air with its pincers, crying "GLIGAR! GLIGAR!"**

** "Some hiker found this poor little guy in a forest down in the Johto region" Professor Oak explained. "A friend of mine sent him to me for custody until a Trainer came forward, but no one has. So..." he paused, looking for a reaction, "...what do you think?"**

** April looked at the Gligar, and it stared back at her. Finally;**

** "Yeah. I think me and him will make a good team."**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

**What happens in Cerulean, stays in Cerulean**

** Casey Jones was not a bad guy. No matter what those cops or his teachers said, he never did anything bad. He wasn't a criminal, a thief, or a lazy bum. He was just a hot-tempered guy who always ended up being in the wrong place at exactly the wrong time.**

** So it came as no surprise to anyone that when a bunch of street punks came into the machine shop where he worked, something was going to happen. **

** It started at the Cerulean City Mechmen, a cheesy name even for a private owned business. Casey was working on a broken tailpipe, when his boss came up to him. "Listen to me, Case" he said. "You stay back here, aight?" **

** "Why?" Casey asked, feeling excluded for some reason.**

** Mr. Maki, which was his name, motioned his head to the front of the shop. A group of people had entered the shop. "Oh" Casey said.**

** It was them. The Purple Dragons. Meanest gang in downtown Cerulean. Obviously, Maki didn't want a fight going down in his shop. Which, knowing Casey, was bound to happen. Casey kept his head down; last time he rumbled with the Dragons, he punched the leader's brother so hard his jaw was knocked out of the socket.**

** Mr. Maki ran to the front of the shop, twisting his hands like he did when he got nervous. "C-C-Can I help you, gentleman?"**

** The biggest man stepped forward, a veritable giant with a Smeargol sitting on his shoulder. "A friend of mine had his taken car here to get fixed. It's been three weeks since then; explain to me why three weeks" he growled coldly.**

** Mr. Maki pushed his glasses up his nose. "By your friend, I assume you mean the big gentleman with the tattoos? Tell him it's almost ready. It's summer, fellas. Busiest time of the year for me; lots of people driving and lots crashing."**

** "Really?" the giant said. "Cause I look around an' I see nooo cars in here. 'Cept his, of course." The giant pointed to the car Casey hiding behind. The Smeargol snickered.**

** "Of course" Mr. Maki could only say.**

** "So what I'm thinkin' is that your just keepin' it here so you can squeeze my friend for what he's worth. That true, little man?"**

** Casey couldn't believe what he was hearing. Mr. Maki, trying to steal from someone! The nerve of those guys!**

** Mr. Maki was equally PO'ed by the suggestion. "Now you listen to me," he started, "I would never-"**

** Maki didn't get to finish his outcry, for the giant thumped his fist right into the old man's gut.**

** What happened next was a blur of motion that took Casey a while after to figure out what was what. What happened was that as soon as Mr. Maki hit the ground holding his stomach, Casey jumped out, ran at the giant, and clocked him across the face with the monkey wrench in his hand, knocking out several teeth and dislodging the Smeargol. **

** The rest of the gang stood there, dumbfounded by the sight of their leader lying on the ground. This gave Casey a chance to run out the back of the shop, dragging Mr. Maki behind the counter before breaking down the door at the back and running down the street. **

** "_Why the hell did I move here in the first place?" _Casey thought. He knew exactly why. Things broke down with April back in Palette, he got kicked out of school, his dad told him to get out of town and find an opportunity somewhere else, because " the way I see it here, no one in Palette is going to hire you now".**

** So he came to Cerulean City. And he knew why it was Cerulean. As he ran through the streets, he saw shining skyscrapers mixed with quaint local shops. Urban sprawl with humble township, all by the beautiful sea. This was Casey's kind of city.**

** WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM. Casey was stopped mid-run, turning into an alleyway straight into a fist. He slipped off the hand, and crumbled on the pavement against the wall of a building. The second-in-command of The Purple Dragons stood over him, surrounded by his goons. At the feet of the new head goon stood his Pokemon, a Heracross on all fours, sniffing Casey's blood stain.**

** "You think you'se can drop our boss like dat?" the goon snarled.**

** "I'd thought you'd be happy" Casey gurgled. "You just got a promotion. Not like you deserve it, but still-"**

** The goon didn't let Casey talk anymore, as he kicked the boy in the gut. The others joined in, and the Heracross banged his giant horn across Casey's forehead. **

** "You like dat, PUNK!?" the head goon snarled. "How about thaAAAAHHHHH!" The Purple Dragon's admonition became a scream, as he was thrown back by a jet of water coming from the top of the roof.**

** The other gang members stopped wailing on Casey, and looked up to see four inhuman shapes drop down on them. **

** Casey weakly lifted his head, to see blurry shapes fighting the Purple Dragons. Punches were thrown, and blocked by weapons held in the shapes hands. The Heracross tried to use his Horn attack, and was blown back by another jet stream of water.**

** In minutes the battle was over. The four blurry shapes approached Casey, who was now to weak to speak. He felt the shapes paw at his body, feeling numb pain where they touched his wounds.**

** "Jeez" said one shape. "You think he's dead?"**

** "Dead guys don't breather, Mikey" another said sharply.**

** "We need to get him to Splinter" said a third shape. "Leo, help me get him up."**

** "We can't take him to Splinter" said the last shape. "When he wakes up-"**

** "So we just leave him here, Leo? Is that it?" said the second shape.**

** "...You're right" the shape called Leo said. "Knock him, Raph".**

** Before Casey could wonder what 'knock him' meant, Casey felt the shapes turn him on his belly. Before he could voice his complaint, a THUMP went across his neck, and Casey went unconscious. The shape called Raph slung him over his shoulder, and turned to the shape called Mikey. **

** "Alright, little brother. Open 'er up".**

** "Can I just say I starting to get sick of living in the sewers?"**

** "No, you cannot. Open the manhole before I open it with your ugly mug."**

** Mikey sighed, and walked to a manhole a foot away from the fight scene. He pulled the cover out of the ground, and jumped into the blackness. His three brothers followed, carrying with them a young man whose life just changed in a way he never thought it was going to.**


End file.
